KASTNER/CASTNER/COSTNER GENEALOGY
Compiled by Glenn Gohr
The Kastner surname is German, and the earliest ancestor in my branch of the family hails from Swedt, Brandenburg Province, Prussia, a small hamlet near the Oder River on the modern-day border between Germany and Poland.
I started research on the Kastner family after corresponding in the mid-1970s with Emma (Roemhildt) Quiram of Waterville, Minnesota. I then visited her and other Roemhildt relatives in Waterville, and Elysian, Minnesota in 1977 and 1978 and learned more about the Kastner family history. My last visit to Minnesota was in August 1995. I hope to return soon to do more research on this family.
Information on the early generations of this family back in Prussia comes from Lutheran Church records in Prussia which were filmed by the LDS Church and are available on microfilm. A distant cousin, Kathy Zelus, sent me the information on the LDS film numbers and the names and dates for the ancestors of Caroline (Kastner) Gensmer, generation #3, who is also her ancestor. Many thanks to Kathy for this valuable information.
One thing that has come up on the Kastner E-Mail List is that Kevin Costner, the movie star, descends from a Kastner/Costner line that settled in Pennsylvania. His full name is Kevin Michael Costner, b. Jan. 18, 1955 at Lynwood, Los Angeles Co., California. He is the son of Bill and Sharon Costner. He has 2 brothers and has 4 children. He is noted for his performance in the movie, “Dances With Wolves” as well as many other films. It would be interesting to find out someday that I could be related to him. Anyway, he is from similar German stock with the same last name. Other variant spellings of the name are Cosner, Castner, Cassner, Kasner, and Kassner.
Here is my KASTNER lineage as far as it has been proven:
- Johann KASTNER, b. 1 Aug. 1756 Swedt, Brandenburg Province, Preussen, d. 24 Feb. 1805 Hohenkranig, Brandenburg Province, Preussen; md. ca. 1780 to Dorothea Sophia METZKE, b. ca. 1761 Grabow, Brandenburg Province, Preussen, d. 26 Sept. 1808 Hohenkranig, Brandenburg Province, Preussen
- Friedrich KASTNER, b. 22 Jan. 1781 Grabow, Brandenburg Province, Preussen; md. 1805 Brandenburg Province, Preussen to Christina STANTZ, b. 21 Oct. 1781 Reichenfelde, Brandenburg Province, Preussen
- Caroline KASTNER, b. 8 March 1810 Hohenkranig, Brandenburg Province, Preussen, d. 1907 Winona Co., MN; md. ca. 1830 Alt Ruednitz, Brandenburg Province, Preussen (now Stara Rudnica) to Martin Friedrich GENSMER, Jr., b. 10 May 1809 Alt Ruednitz (now Stara Rudnica), Brandenburg Province, Preussen, d. 26 Jan. 1902 Winona Co., MN (both buried in Norton Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, Norton Township, Winona Co., MN)
- Maria Louisa Dorothea GENSMER, b. 27 Aug. 1831 Grenneberg, Preussen, d. 22 Dec. 1922 Elysian, Le Sueur Co., MN; md. 24 Oct. 1852 Mayville, Dodge CO., WI to Traugott ROEMHILDT, b. 26 Aug. 1824 Lohlen, Scharzburch, Rudolfstaht, Germany, d. 1 May 1898 Elysian, Le Sueur Co., MN (both buried in St. Peter’s “Bell” Lutheran Cemetery at Elysian, Minnesota)
- Holda Augusta ROEMHILDT, b. 1 Jan. 1855 Mayville, Dodge Co., WI, d. 15 Aug. 1926 Monte Vista, Rio Grande Co., CO; md. 19 Dec. 1878 Elysian, Le Sueur Co., MN to Christoph August QUIRAM, b. 25 Dec. 1853 Schonlanke, Germany, d. 29 Nov. 1937 Porterville, Tulare Co., CA (both buried in the Monte Vista Cemetery)
- Frieda Helma QUIRAM, b. 24 May1890 Elysian, Le Sueur Co., MN, d. 18 July 1987 Monte Vista, Rio Grande Co., CO; md. 25 Nov. 1917 Monte Vista, Rio Grande Co., CO to Alexander Friedrich EMIL GOHR, b. 31 Jan. 1887 Kossuth Co., IA, d. 18 June 1968 Monte Vista, Rio Grande Co., CO (both buried in the Monte Vista Cemetery) *These are my grandparents.
If you have queries concerning the Kastner surname or any of its variant spellings: CASTNER, CASSNER, KASSNER, etc. You may post these at the Kastner Family Genealogy List that I started but which now is managed by Sandy Norton who also publishes a family newsletter called KASTNER KONNECTIONS.
Kastner Genealogy List is a part of the Rootsweb e-mail discussion lists. It offers free queries and discussion on the Kastner surname and variant spellings.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to: KASTNER-L-request@rootsweb.com
Leave subject line blank (This will be ignored).
In the body of the message type: subscribe
Then a welcome message will be sent telling how to post messages. Once you are subscribed, you may send a query to everyone on the list by sending e-mail to: KASTNER-L@rootsweb.com
Archived postings to the Kastner e-mail list can be found on the WEB at:
If you have queries concerning the COSNER surname, you may post these at the Cosner Family Genealogy List which is a part of the Rootsweb e-mail discussion lists. It offers free queries and discussion on the Cosner surname and variant spellings.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to: COSNER-L-request@rootsweb.com
Leave subject line blank (This will be ignored).
In the body of the message type: subscribe
Then a welcome message will be sent telling how to post messages. Once you are subscribed, you may send a query to everyone on the list by sending e-mail to: COSNER-L@rootsweb.com
Archived postings to the Cosner e-mail list can be found on the WEB at:
There are several Message Boards on Rootsweb which are set up for the KASTNER surname. These boards are for posting information in the following categories: BIBLE, BIOGRAPHY, BIRTH, CEMETERY, CENSUS, DEATH, DEED, IMMIGRATION, LOOKUP, MARRIAGE, MILITARY, OBITUARY, PENSION, QUERIES, and WILLS. The search perameters and drop down screen on the main page allow you to do a key word search or to view all postings according to one of the above categories. Click on the icon below to access the Kastner Message Boards.
Post a query (or information from any one of the above categories) on any KASTNER name or related family. Please give dates, and locations they lived. Try to give as much information as possible.
An online genealogy forum for posting queries has also been set up specifically for the KASTNER family on GenForum. It can be found at the following address:
There are several Message Boards on Rootsweb which are set up for the COSNER surname. These boards are for posting information in the following categories: BIBLE, BIOGRAPHY, BIRTH, CEMETERY, CENSUS, DEATH, DEED, IMMIGRATION, LOOKUP, MARRIAGE, MILITARY, OBITUARY, PENSION, QUERIES, and WILLS. The search perameters and drop down screen on the main page allow you to do a key word search or to view all postings according to one of the above categories. Click on the icon below to access the Cosner Message Boards.
Post a query (or information from any one of the above categories) on any COSNER name or related family. Please give dates, and locations they lived. Try to give as much information as possible.
An online genealogy forum for posting queries has also been set up specifically for the COSNER family on GenForum. It can be found at the following address:
***Note***During the Fall of 1998, GenForum combined with Family Tree Maker, which means that all queries and information posted to that site becomes the property of Family Tree Maker. This is still a good site to look up information and get contact names for the KASTNER/COSNER lines you are searching, but be advised that if you now post a new query or a response to something on that site, chances are that sometime in the future Family Tree Maker will include that information on a CD-ROM which they will sell for profit to anyone who is interested. I do not like the idea of someone else using my hard researched information and ideas and selling them for a profit without my knowledge. This same practice is evident on all of the Family Tree Maker pages which are found on the internet, if you will read the disclaimer notices on those pages. I recommend the Family Tree Maker pages as good look up pages, but I don't recommend posting information there. Similar things can be said for Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com which are connected to each other and seek to make a profit from genealogical materials on the internet.
Copyright © 1998-2004.
Last updated November 10, 2004.
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